Filling device



A. STEVENS FILLING DEVICE May 12, 1931.

Filed Oct. 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 12, 1931. A. STEVENS FILLINGDEVICE Filed Oct. 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 12, 1931 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR STEVENS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TCTHE VOL-U-METER CO., INC.,

OF BUFFALO, NEW" YER-K, A CORPGRATIOI? C'F EE'EW' YGRK FILLING DEVICEApplication filed flctooer 20, 1927. Serial No. 227,565. I

My invention relates in general to a filling machine for liquids, andparticularly to a device for filling cans, bottles, drums, half barrels,carboys, etc.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that when filling largecontainersof fifty or one hundred gallon capacity, it has been thepractice in order to avoid short weight to fill the containers beyondthe predetermined weight. Such practice, meaning in most cases onlyounces of overweight, results in great loss during a years output.Another great loss comes by reason of overflow on account of carelesslabor, sticky valves, or inaccurate filling devices.

It has been the principal object of my invention to provide a fillingdevice whereby containers of any size may be accurately filled with theexact weight of material desired.

Another object has been to provide a device inwhich it shall beunnecessary to reduce the flow when the container is about full, but onewhich accurately cuts oi'f the supply of fluid from a full flow. Mydevice, therefore,

eliminates all unnecessary means for determining about how full thecontainer is before the predetermined weight has been reached at whichtime it has been customary and common practice to reduce the flow.

Moreover, my device is provided with electrically operated gravitytripping means with a normally closed electric circuit which does notaffect the accuracy of the scale with which the device is used.

The above objects and advantages have been accomplished by the deviceshown in the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 shows my device attached to a scale with a drum in position'uponthe scale platform. 7

Fig. 2 is an enlarged. longitudinal, tional view taken through the valvepart of U my device.

contact making means of my device.

munication with the horizontal, chamber 11.

A vertical chamber 15 is formed in the body which connects with the rearend of the horizontal chamber 11. The bottom end of the vertical chamberterminates in a flange 1b which is'preferably interiorly screw-threadedand to which is secured the spout 17. The spout has a reduced portionwhich thus forms a shoulder 21. Resting upon the shoulder 21 is thevalve plug 22, having preferably an interposed washer 23. The valve plugis provided with a downwardly extending threaded boss 24 to which isscrew-threaded the valve plug guide 25. The lower portion of the guidepasses through a guide bearing 26 formed. in the reduced portion 20 ofthe spout.

Passing longitudinally through the vertical chamber 15 and rotatablysupported within the body part is a main shaft 30 at the outer end ofwhich is provided an operating handle 31. The shaft passes through asuit able stufling box 32 having a packing nut 33.

The shaft is provided with an annular groove 34: with which a ball setscrew 35 is engageable, whereby end motion of the shaft is pre vented. Aportion of the shaft 30 lying within the chamber 15 is preferably squarein cross-section, as shown in Fig. 2, and mounted upon this portion ofthe shaft is a shaft lever 36. This lever extends laterally and itsouter end is connected to the valve plug 22 by means of a link 37,whereby the valve plug may be raised to its open position by means ofthe handle 31;

A trigger lO is pivotally carried by an outwardly extending arm 41 bymeans of a trigger pin 42. The trigger is provided with a weightedportion 43 and an outwardly extending arm 44:. The operating handle 31is provided with a segment 45 on the under side of which are formed twonotches 46 and 47. When the operating arm is moved so as to open thevalve of the device, thereby rais ing the valve plug 22, the notches ofthe seg ment will engage with the arm 44 of the trigger and serve tohold the valve plug in its elevated position. When the operating arm ismoved so that the end. 44 of the trigger engages the notch 47, a stoplug 48 formed on the shaft lever 36 will engage with the in side wall ofthe body of the device and limit the upward movement of the valve plug(see Fig. 4).

'A hammer 50 is pivotally attached to the body and the head 51 thereofis designed to engage with the arm 44 of the trigger, as shown in Fig.2, thus depressing the arm 44 and releasing its engagement with thenotch of the operating handle. The weighted portion 43 of the trigger isprovided at its rear side with a notch 52 which forms a shoulder 53.This shoulder engages with a stop pin 54 which'limits the upwardmovement of the weighted portion of the trigger. Carried adjacent theupper position of the hammer is an electromagnetic coil 55 having a core56. The hammer 5O is'provided with an ar-.

mature 57 which is designed to engage the core 56 and to be held in itsvertical position by the magnetism of the core. As shown in Fig. 3, thepivotal connection of theha-mmer and the core of the electromagnet areso arranged that the hammer can not be moved to a vertical dead centerbut will always be in such a position that when released by theelectromagnet it will fall by gravity. The electromagnet is preferablyattached to an out- Wardly extending lug 58 which carriesbinding posts59 and 60 connected to the winding of the coil 55. A guard 61 isprovided for the coil 55. r

The contact making means of my device, which is shown in Fig. '5,comprises a cut-oil 65 having preferably an annular body portion'66. Thebody is formed with. a downwardly extending threaded lug 67 by which thedevice is supported. This lug is de signed to pass through an arm 68preferably made a part of the downwardly extending scale arm 69. Ifdesired, instead of using a specially constructed scale arm 69, it isobvious that the cut-off may be supported underneath the .scale'beam 70by any other suitable means. Nuts 71 are disposed on the lug 67 and onearranged at each side of the arm 68, whereby the vertical position ofthe cut-off may be accurately adjusted. A cover 72 is suitably securedto the top of the body 66 and this carries the switch mechanism of thecut-off. This mechanism comprises a body 7 3 formed ofinsulating'material and carrying acontact spring 74 and a contact spring75. The springs are superimposed as shown in Fig. 3, and are pressedinto engage- 1,so4,445 V .ment with each other by means of a contactbutton 76. The button has a downwardly extending stem 77 which passesthrough an aperture formed in the cover 7 2 and the body 73. The stem isprovided with a point 78 of insulating material and contacts with thecontact spring 74. The contact spring 74 is connected with a bindingpost 79 carried by the body 66, and the contact spring is connected witha binding post 80 similarly carried by the body 66.

My device may be used with any style of scale, and for convenience inFig. 1 I have shown it employed with a scale of the platform type. Inthis figure is the platform of the scale and 70 the beam thereof. The

valve part of my device is supported prefen.

ably by the supply pipe 13, and the spout 2O of the device is connectedwith the drum 86 is connected as shown through the battery and switch 89with the binding posts of the electromagnetic coil by means of leads 90.As hereinbefore pointed out the cut-ofi 65 is arranged below the scalebeam 70, whereby when the container 86 is empty, and up to the time whenit has received the predetermined amount of liquid, the scale beam willnaturally be in the position shown in Fig. 1 where it will depress thebutton 76 and cause the contact springs 74 and 7 5 to be engaged. Thiswill cause current to flow through the battery switch 89, and leads 90to the electromagnetic coil 55 thereby energizing the same I itsweighted portion 43 to the position shown in Fig. 3 where its arm 44will be brought in contact with the undersurface of the segment 45 ofthe operating arm. When now the operating arm is moved to raise thevalve plug 22 thereby opening the valve, the arm 44 will engage with thenotches 46 or 4'? on the underside of the segment 45, and thus retainthe valve plug in its open or elevated position. Fluid coming throughthe supply pipe 13 will now enter the drum 86 through thespout 20 andhose 87 until the predetermined amount of liquid has been run into thedrum. At this point the scale beam 7 0 will beelevated and when the,contact spring 7 4 moves out of contact with the spring 7 5 the electriccircuit will be broken thus de-energizing the electromagnet 55 andpermitting the hammer 50 to fall. When the hammer 50 falls it strikesthe arm 44 of the trigger thus releasing its engagement with the segmentof the operating arm, and allowing the valve plug 22 to fall thusabruptly closing off the flow of liquid. The springs 74 and 75 are sodelicate that the tension produced by them is negligible. The button 76with its stem 7 7 is preferably made of aluminum or other materialhaving light specific gravity so that there is practically no pressureexerted upon the scale beam to affect its accuracy or sensitiveness. Theweight of the fluid may be adjusted by raising or lowering the cut-off65 through the medium of the nuts 71. If the cut-off is raised, agreater amount of fluid will be placed in the drum while if it islowered a lesser amount of liquid will be placed into the drum.

As hereinbefore described, the cut-ofi 65 is 7 arranged below the scalebeam and because of this arrangement when the predetermined weight hasbeen reached, it is practically disconnected from the beam and does not,therefore, interfere with the action of the scale or affect itsaccuracy, whereby the weightof the container with its contents may bechecked up on the scale before it is removed therefrom, thus making itunnecessary to place the container upon a separate scale in checking upthe accuracy of the device.

Obviously, some modifications of the details herein shown and describedmay be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or thescope of the appended claims, and I do not, therefore, wish to belimited to the exact embodiment herein shown and described, the formshown being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A liquid filling device comprising a normally open filling valve,mechanically operated trigger means for retaining the valve in its openposition, a normally closed electric circuit, electromagnetic meansassociated with the electric circuit for causing the release of saidtrigger means, and cut-off means connected in the electric circuit andcontrolled by the liquid when a predetermined amount has flowed throughthe device.

2. A liquid filling device comprising a normally open filling valve, atrigger for holding the valve open, gravity means for releasing thetrigger, and electromagnetic means for holding the gravity means untilthe predetermined amount of liquid has flowed through the device.

3. A liquid filling device comprising a normally open filling valve, atrigger for holding the valve open, gravity means for releasing thetrigger, an electromagnet for holding the gravity means in its elevatedposition, and cut-off means controlled by the liquid when apredetermined amount has flowed through the device.

4:. A liquid filling device comprising a normally open filling Valve, atrigger for holding the valve open, the trigger having a weighted partand an outwardly extending arm, an operating handle having a notchedsegment for engagement with the arm of the trigger, gravity means forreleasing the trigger, and normally closed electromagnetic means forholding the gravity means until the predetermined amount of fluid hasflowed through the device.

5. A filling device comprising a normall open filling valve, a triggerfor holding the valve open, and a pivotally mounted hammer engageablewith the trigger andelectromagnetically held so that when released itWill fall.

6. A filling device comprising an outlet valve, an operating handleconnected to the valve and having a segment formed with a notch, atrigger engageable with the notch of the segment to hold the valve open,and an electromagnetically controlled means for releasing the triggerfrom engagement with the segment of the operating handle.

7 A filling device comprising an outlet valve, an operating handleconnected to the valve and having a segment formed with a notch, atrigger engageable with the notch of the segment to hold the valve open,a hammer engageable with the trigger, an electromagnet for holding thehammer in its elevated position, and cut-01f means for de-energizing theelectromagnet.

8. In a liquid filling device, the combination with a scale and areceptacle mounted on the scale, of a normally open filling valve,mechanically operated trigger means for retaining the valve in its openposition, a normally closed electric circuit, electromagnetic meansassociated with the electric circuit for causing the release of saidtrigger means, and cut-off means controlled by this scale beam forinterrupting the electric circuit and closing the valve when thepredetermined amount of liquid has flowed into the receptacle.

9. In a liquid filling device, the combination with a scale and areceptacle mounted on the scale, of a normally open filling valve,mechanically operated trigger means for retaining the valve in its openposition, a normally closed electric circuit, electromagnetic meansassociated with the electric circuit for causing the release of saidtrigger means, and an electric switch mounted below and actuated by thescale beam for controlling the electric switch.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

ARTHUR STEVENS.

